Yes, just one day after they signed Gary England to a new contract, we’re hearing rumbles through the Ogle Mole Network that KWTV News 9 has poached popular weatherman and stormchaser David Payne from the KFOR Channel 4 weather team.

News 9 is apparently making the move to combat stagnant ratings and help prepare for the day when Lord England retires to his Severe Weather Palace in Edmond. If this rumor is true, and we think it is, it will come just 14-months after KWTV signed longtime KFOR chopper pilot Jim Gardner to a lucrative contract.

According to one email we received, Payne informed his colleagues at Channel 4 of his decision to leave yesterday morning. Upon hearing the news, Mike Morgan’s severe weather tie burst into hot flames and he had to be doused with water. From the back of the room, Emily Sutton slowly stood and said “I’ll chase the storms now, Mr. Morgan. I’ll chase the storms.”

Payne will allegedly start at News 9 in January.

Okay, so we missed his start date by a couple of weeks. We can’t be perfect.

Anyway, Payne’s last day at Channel 4 was on Friday. According to Moles, he mentioned during his morning weather forecast something to the effect that it was his last day at Channel 4 and that he was moving to Channel 9. After that, he was escorted off the set and out of the building. That’s kind of a shady way to do things by both parties, but I don’t think anyone’s ever accused the television news industry of being a place filled with a lot of class.

Three more thoughts:

• I think David Payne will start tonight and work the 5:00pm and 6:00pm weather broadcasts. Lord England will still be the Chief Meteorologist, handle the 10pm news and lead the station’s severe weather coverage. That could be wrong, but it makes sense. UPDATE BELOW: IT WAS WRONG. When Lord England eventually retires – we’ll probably shut down for a week when that happens — David Payne will assume his duties.

• Channel 9 has basically turned into the New York Yankees of Oklahoma City. Weather coverage is what draws in ratings, and hence brings in advertisers and money. Just look at their severe weather line-up for when May comes around. It’s a mix of home grown talent and high priced free agents. They have Gary England, Chopper Pilot Jim Gardner, two A-list storm chasers in David Payne and Val, other respected weatherman in Jed Castles and Michael Armstrong, and their answer to Emily Sutton in Lacey Swope. Hell, they even have a cute weather intern. Before you know it, their going to unveil a 3D Doppler radar.

• I wonder if Mike Morgan will wear a black bedazzled weather tie to morn the loss of his friend and colleague? He probably should.

When I learned the the unholy trinity of severe weather coverage was breaking up last year, I shed a tear. Now we have to lose the head cheerleader I’m truly heartbroken. What am I gonna do March-May without hearing “MORGAN!!!” or MAXI GRINDER WEDGE!! “Freak Out Four” will never be the same. Anytime a tornado was a hundred miles and vaguely moving toward the City channel four would be wall-to-wall telling you that you’re about to die. Admit it, you watch Channel Nine for information, you watch Channel Four for entertainment (no one watches Five because they suck.) How is this gonna work out since David & Lord England are polar opposites? Case in point, the pig farm tornado a few years back, Gary was watching the feed from SkyNews 9 when it hit the pig farm & only let out a soft “whoa.” David had he been describing it would sounded like “IT JUST HIT A PIG FARM!!! THERE ARE PIGS FLYING EVERYWHERE!!! OH THE HUMANITY!!!” What worry’s me the most can we trust David Payne with Lord England’s “Severe Weather Machine?” We will have EF-5 tornadoes, floods, blizzards, and every other type of biblical plagues everyday just so David can chase them. I’m gonna go say a prayer for Mike Morgan now.

Wow, Payne is the only guy who made 4’s weather worth a damn. Will they promote Emily to the mornings? I sure hope so. That kid that fills in for Payne some mornings is terrible, how did he get hired in a city as big as ours?

I think this is a smart move by Ch. 9. I’ll be interested to see how well it works in practice. In watching the interview with David, I was cracking up at the set. Nice set of bookshelves…and chest with accessories on top…and a cinder-block wall. LOL WTH? How about putting up a flat to cover that stuff, guys! Or were you intentionally trying to make it look like he was interviewed inside a storm cellar?